Hello, you may already have seen a post about the West Suffolk Local Plan Consultation on Preferred Options, which opened on 26th May, and runs until 26th July. You can see a briefing note prepared for the Parish Council’s Annual Meeting, which summarises the preferred options specific to Wickhambrook. Their preferred site is 4.12a (previously WS195a). This site, which runs to the south-west of Bunter Road (from Old Mill House to the access road for Claydon Drills), occupies 2.85 hectares. The indicative capacity for this site is 40 dwellings (final capacity to be determined through a site development brief).
The NPWG has finished reviewing the data from the questionnaire sent to the households in February. Total 258 replies were received, representing over 50% of households. Additionally, the Housing Needs Survey Results Report has been returned from Cambridgeshire ACRE, showing a need for (ten) suitable affordable homes in the village.
The NPWG has reviewed this option against the replies from the NP questionnaire and are proposing to have 2 engagement dates with the Parish:
- One on the 5th June at the Celebrations for the Jubilee, where a number of the NWPG will host a drop in stand. We’ll be posing a number of questions for the parish to gauge immediate comments to the West Suffolk preferred options. The same questions will be posted to Survey Monkey to collect answers; and
- On the 9th July as part of the community engagement by the Parish Council, here they will present preliminary findings from the questionnaire, and timelines for next stages
The NPWG has drafted a short summary of the results for information back to the parish and an update in the next issue of the Scene, and expects to present its findings to a single issue parish council meeting on 7th July. The parish council will also be considering its response to West Suffolk’s consultation on Preferred Options for the Local Plan at the meeting on 7th July.
A further grant application will be made to Groundworks to support the preparation of the local plan and access further technical advice.
It is important to note that no firm decisions have been made on whether the site(s) proposed by West Suffolk will be taken forward to the final consultation draft of the Local Plan. West Suffolk are seeking your views at this stage to assist with making these decisions. This preferred options consultation draft of the local plan is the second opportunity for you to get involved with preparing the new plan. All of the consultation information is available to view in West Suffolk’s live exhibition hall at westsuffolk.exhibition.app. If you have any questions, you can contact the planning team at West Suffolk by live chat during consultation on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10am and 12noon and 4pm to 6pm (westsuffolk.exhibition.app), or e-mail , or call 01284 757368.
We will also be asking West Suffolk Cllr David Roach, who holds the planning portfolio, to answer questions at the meeting on 7th July.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, or would like to express your views, drop into one of the parish engagement events on 5th June or 9th July.